


The Test

by Themaidsdiaries



Category: All Creatures Great and Small (TV), All Creatures Great and Small - James Herriot
Genre: F/M, drunk people, there's not a lot of plot in this, wedding party, willing flesh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-12 15:00:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29012436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Themaidsdiaries/pseuds/Themaidsdiaries
Summary: At James and Helen wedding party, Siegfried and Audrey find themselves willing.
Relationships: Siegfried Farnon & Mrs. Hall | Audrey Hall, Siegfried Farnon / Audrey Hall, Siegfried Farnon/Mrs. Hall
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	The Test

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my native language. Please, forgive my typos and grammar mistakes.
> 
> I should be working on "Facts" but this came to me and here it is.

It was a general consensus that homemade brew should be consumed with caution. Especially those made by Darrowby farmers. But sometimes common sense didn't always win, especially at the wedding of a good friend.

Siegfried's head boiled down to a constant sequence of strong stingss. Result of drunkenness, for sure, although he didn't feel drunk at the time. Cheerful, perhaps. Certainly.

The previous day's memories came back to him little by little. James and Helen had been married in church. He had been the best man and Mrs. Hall maid of honar. They walked down the aisle of the church arm in arm to the altar. Siegfried couldn't ignore the amused expression on Tristan's face when their eyes briefly met.

Her hand weighed nothing on the crook of his elbow and remained there throughout the celebration. Siegfried found out that not look at her was difficult, with her hair loose and modeled in delicate curls, her bangs tied with a pearl clip and wearing a light blue dress that Helen had helped her choose. The dress made the color of her eyes pop and even close as he was he couldn't tell if they were green or blue. But Mrs. Hall, Audrey, had her full attention on James and Helen, and did not notice how conscious he was of their proximity.

The party after the wedding went on for the rest of the day, after all, both the Aldersons and the Herriots had a lot to celebrate with that wedding and the Farnons... Well... When would they say no to a party?

The food was plentiful, the drink seemed to have no end and lively music was contagious. People laughed and celebrated the happiness of the young couple. Helen was loved by everyone, had known these people her entire life, and James had found in Darrowby his space and his home.

"It's good, isn't it?" Audrey commented absently while they, Jenny and Mr. Alderson watched Helen and James dance as married for the first time. "This feeling of happiness so strong and inexhaustible to start a new phase of life with the loved one."

Even though he was used to her making personal comments at times, Siegfried was surprised and was not the only one. Jenny made a face and rolled her eyes, holding back the urge to laugh while Siegfried and Mr. Alderson turned to watch her. Audrey just smiled with pure joy admiring the dance, oblivious to the effect it had on the two men beside her.

  
She never seemed so tempting to him as at that moment and with horror Siegfried noticed that Mr. Alderson seemed to feel the same way. He had noticed clearly, some looks from the man in her direction. Jenny and Helen liked her and in the past few months she had become even closer to the girls. Did Mr. Alderson find himself wondering if he should approach her too? Now with Helen married he would be left alone to finish raising Jenny and maybe he wanted a woman's help with this task. Her help.

This was an extremely uncomfortable idea that, if he hadn't been having it in a while, apparently he had at that moment.

The two men looked at each other uncertainly. It was not a challenge, no, far from it. Mr. Alderson seemed to probe for evidence of some kind of understanding between her and Siegfried, who in turn was looking to the other man for the intention of taking a step towards Mrs. Hall.

Siegfried immediately straightened up and looked away. Mr. Alderson could think whatever he wanted. That was out of the question. He was not going to accept. If it was for her to keep someone's company, of course it would be his. He needed help with Tristan, after all.

“I don’t think we should just watch. Would you give me pleasure, Mrs. Hall? ” He said as he held his hand out to her.

Audrey blinked when she heard him address her and turned to him with a subtle smile on her lips. Tempting and captivating. He saw all possibilities for a future open before them when her hand slid through his.

“You're not such a bad dance partner after all. Now I understand why you like to go to parties so much.” She teased him, while they danced to perfection, as if dancing together was a common and usual activity for them.

"Ah Mrs. Hall... If you knew all my moves..." He teased back, making her blush.

They danced, they drank and they flirted. For the first time in almost five years, he finally managed to put aside the barriers of the appropriate, the shame and fear to surrender to a provocative and amusing flirtation to which, surprisingly, she responded very well while probing him with a look full of expectation .

This time, when their hands met, they did not let go, not even when they moved away from the dance floor and sat at one of the quiet tables in the corner of the room.

Somehow, despite all the mishaps, they had reached the key point. The doubts and uncertainties had been overcome, he felt fully capable and willing to take another step forward. A step towards her.

Audrey continued her examination of him even though her fingers were intertwined in a very intimate way. Their hands together like that was an important statement in itself.

"I’ve been thinking..." He started in a low voice, leaning towards her. The drink had certainly given him a little courage, released his tongue and made him more relaxed.

"Hmmm?"

"This could be the answer." Siegfried's casual tone made her raise an eyebrow doubtfully.

"The answer to what, exactly, Mr. Farnon?" No, she wouldn't let it be that easy.

“Us. I mean…” He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. Starting like that didn't make sense, if he was going to say what he meant he had to do it properly. “Being with Dorothy was interesting and engaging. It was nice to finally accept that wanting to have someone and being wanted by that someone was not a betrayal, nor did it make me feel guilty. However, there was always something missing and I think Dorothy was not exactly the right woman for me.”

"Still, if I remember correctly, your flesh was willing not too long ago." The sharp tone was softened with a smile. What was that, he wondered. Jealousy?

“For a brief period, yes, it was. Although I commented that my spirit was not so inclined.” She nodded indicating that she also remembered that observation. "And now, right now, I feel completely willing in every way."

Her reaction was something he didn't expect. Audrey raised her eyebrows in surprise and with her hand over her mouth tried to stifle a laugh. Her hand tightened on his and she continued to laugh, not at him, but at the situation.

“I do hope I have no recollection whatsoever of this conversation in the morning.” She laughed hard.

"Do you think I’m kidding?" Siegfried didn't want to sound offended, but he did.

“I know you’re not. It’s just...” She shocked her head, easing her breathing. "I never thought you would say something like this, so openly."

For so long it seemed unlikely that he would do something like that, but there it was. He took a sip of the strong, bitter beer, giving her time to regain her composure while he himself used that moment to compose his thoughts.

"We have been avoiding any conversation of this nature for too long." He said at last, after considerable silence.

"With this I can agree." Audrey had a small smile on her lips and they stared at each other for a long moment.

Where his mind had been for him to deprive himself of her for so long? When had he become such a coward in matters of the heart? That answer he knew. Evelyn's death made him fear, made him retreat and isolate himself, until Audrey entered his house and gradually also entered his life and his heart. The temptation to lean in and just kiss her was so strong that he didn't know how he managed to resist.

"So it might not be strange for me to ask." Siegfried placed their joined hands on his own leg. "Your flesh is never willing?" He whispered the question, seeing in her eyes that her spirit and perhaps even her heart were willing.

“Mr. Farnon...” Audrey shifted uncomfortably in the seat, suddenly becoming serious, the playful tone had magically vanished. Her eyes moved away from his and she closed herself.

What had he done wrong?

"Yes or no?" He insisted, but she said nothing. “Okay, I’m going to assume it is.” He saw her blush and her eyes flashed. It was there that he knew that more than willing her flesh seemed to burn. A thought he couldn't fix at that moment. “If that happens, why not solve it? Or is your spirit not at ease either?”

“Mr. Farnon, it's not that simple. ” Audrey gasped reluctantly.

"Dorothy seems to see it as simple." He tried to instigate her and she became even more serious. This time he knew what he had done wrong.

"I am not Dorothy." Her response was direct and sharp.

"I know that very well." Siegfried replied softly and stroked her hand.

Audrey relaxed, but it was obvious to anyone that she was upset.

"So, where do you want to go with this?"

"We are both willing... Maybe solve this together is the solution."

"It sounds more to me like creating a problem and not a solution."

“Why? Besides the fact that you are a religious and respectable woman and I am making an indecent proposal. ”

“Because we live in the same house? Becayse I work for you? Because we are friends?"

"Are we friends?" Doubt carried his words.

"Are't we?" Audrey had been surprised by the question.

"I don't know. I seem to be unable to look at you and see you just as my friend. Not anymore."

Audrey bit her lower lip for an instant and he feared he had gone too far, too far. She probed him and the message in her eyes was clear, that was not a conversation to have there, not after three or four mugs of that absurd beer, not when the passionate atmosphere was so conducive to madness. She stood up, pulling him by the hand.

"Come on, it's rare for me to have the opportunity to dance."

"It was rare, not anymore." He whispered in her ear when he put his arms around her and they allow themselves to be taken by the music, oblivious to the curious looks of the boys.

They danced until their feet hurt inside their shoes, until the newlyweds left, waving good-bye. If she asked him, she would know that this was a special moment in his opinion. The prospect of the honeymoon and actually beginning the new phase of their life started there, at that moment. Siegfried missed that, to want and be desired, to plunge into a moment of intimacy with another person, to share the banality and the mundane of life with someone. No, not with someone. With her. He wanted to have it all with her.

“Do you still hope we probably won’t have no recollection whatsoever tomorrow morning?” He asked when they entered Skeldale House. The clock struck just after five in the afternoon.

Tristan and Margareth had stayed at the party and his brother would probably stretch out the night until later enjoying his company. Siegfried saw the exchange of smiles between them and envied the passionate inconsequence of youth.

"I do." The answer was a lure, they both know they were going to remember absolutely everything.

"In this case are you willing to make a small test?"

The absurd idea that formed in his head could only be the fault of the beer, but it seemed too good to be missed after that day. Flirting, deep conversations and subtle touches... What is the chance of everything repeating itself? Daily, Tristan would say with conviction, because it happened everyday and only them seemed not to notice.

“What sort of test?”

"A very simple one." Siegfried took a step towards Audrey and held her face in his hands. Audrey's eyes widened for a brief moment, surprised by his boldness. "May I?" The question sounded so low that he wasn't sure if she heard it, until he saw her agree with a nod.

The beer tasted pungent even though they were far from drunk. Disinhibition was enough for them to allow themselves, aware that their lips had met and parted, for mutual exploration.

Siegfried noticed that kiss her was fascinating, ecstatic and terrifyingly exciting. Of all the bad ideas he may have had during that unusual day, that had been the worst. He couldn't go back, he couldn't not want to repeat that moment and he wouldn't be able to look at her without remembering. He knew that that kiss, in the middle of the corridor, after a long day and with aching feet, would accompany him minute by minute until it was repeated, if it was repeated.

Audrey pulled him by the jacket with one hand while the other stroked his hair, making goose bumps rise on Siegfried's skin. There it was, he understood, the difference. He was not only willing for her in flesh and spirit. He wanted her. He loved her.

"We won’t forget any of this in the morning." Audrey said when Siegfried's mouth deviated from hers to kiss her jaw and go down her neck.

“I don't want to forget. I don't want this to be just a relief for both of us.” Siegfried admitted, lifting his head so he could look at her. “I don't want it to be an isolated event, nor do I want us to have an affair. This is not just about sex and I hope I didn't give you this impression.” He continued, sliding his hands slowly over her ribs and up. "I want you and I want to be yours." He said in a hoarse whisper against her skin when his thumbs stopped just under the curve of her breasts. "Do you think you will regret it?" He needed to know, to be sure.

Audrey's expression softened and he saw the relief wash over her face completely.

"No, I won't. I'm willing." She admitted and bit her bottom lip. Something he hadn't seen her do until that afternoon, but it was incredibly tempting. "I do want to be yours." She held his face in her hands and he was the one who felt relieved this time. "And I want you too."

Oh Lord!

Siegfried was right, her flesh was not just willing. Audrey's flesh burned and burned under his. Panting, eyes closed and pink cheeks, she kept her hands on his back and her right heel buried in the back of his thigh, urging him to keep moving.

He couldn't take his eyes off her. Stunned by the image of her, the sounds she made, the smell of her skin, the way she held him, almost possessively, a self-assertion that he was hers. Yes, he was. He always would be.

Their clothes had been discarded quickly. Hands were in a hurry to open buttons, slide zippers and remove all fabrics, until skin found skin and they wrapped themselves in an intimate and warm embrace, touching, testing and tasting themselves without shame or hesitation.

Within four walls Siegfried discovered that behind those shy looks she hid a demanding intensity and voracity. Audrey demanded more and more and more... It had been so long and he wanted so much to get lost in that comforting warmth that enveloped him, to give in to physical pleasure and get lost in her. But he didn't, even on the verge of despair for relief, he met her demand until the end, mesmerized by her desire, by her moans against his lips, by the pressure that her hands placed on his back and continued until Audrey tensed.

The most beautiful and delicate arc formed on her neck when she buried her head in the pillow and covered her mouth tightly to stifle a loud moan. There, in that spot, he buried his groans of pleasure. The pressure became too much, his vision blurred and he let his weight sink into the bed as he was bathed by the intoxicating sensation of the climax.

Heaven, at least.

The room was in a half light when he woke up. The light that he feared was the sun was just the lamp on his nightstand and he sighed, surrending to the comfortable sensation of warmth that the bed had become.

More conscious, he felt her body glued to his. Audrey's breath was warm against the back of his neck, her left arm was around him and her small hand rested in the center of his chest. Even with the intense headache he smiled happy and satisfied. It was not a dream.

Forcing his eyes, he carefully turned her arm and saw on her wristwatch that it was still three in the morning. The movement, even delicate, made Audrey move, turning the other way.

The door was at least closed, although he hadn't remembered to lock it. Would Tristan have been looking for them when he arrived? He sincerely hoped not, but that was a concern for the next day. All he wanted to do was turn around to curl up in Audrey Hall and sleep. And that was exactly what he did.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you had fun. Thanks for reading.


End file.
